It is known in prior art that ram seals are mountable with the ram of a blowout preventer. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,316, ram seals are mounted with the ram of a blowout preventer for sealingly engaging a wireline during typical wireline operations.
As discussed more fully hereinbelow, the prior art includes other types of inner seal assemblies that are adapted to receive removable wear inserts that are capable of taking the extreme punishment not uncommon in typical blowout preventer operations. For example, during typical stripping operations, depending upon the quality of tubular goods going into and out of a typical wellbore, it is not uncommon for wear inserts to be replaced multiple times. Because of the substantial expense per unit time incurred in the utilization of blowout preventers, time is of the essence in all such operations; and, therefore, reducing doown time for inner seal replacement is highly desirable.
Heretofore, the replacement of wear inserts and/or inner assemblies has been somewhat cumbersome and time comsuming, all of which tend to increase the overall expense of utilizing such a blowout preventer in typical operations thereof.